Part 10 (2/2)

The way they chose was along the eastern side of the island, close to the sea, where from north point to south point the place was inaccessible, there being only three places practicable for a landing, and these lying on the west and south There the s for centuries, underain and again, ed till there was one long cove; the fissure where they had taken boat with old Daygo; and another spot farther to the south

The lads had not gone far before they curved suddenly to their left, and struggled through one of the patches of woodland that beautified the island This was of oak trees and ilex, dwarfed by their position, tortured into every fornarled elbow and crookedness by the sea wind, and seldom visited save by the boys, who knew it as a fah this dwarf-oak scrub, but they struggled on, descending now into a steep ravine quite in the uninhabited part of the island, and feeling that they ht talk and shout as they pleased--for they were not likely to be heard But they were very quiet, and when hawk or pie was started, or an old nest seen, they instinctively called each other's attention to it in a whisper

After a time they were clear of the soht in the hollow of the slope they had to clireatest luxuriance, and had woven so sturdy a hedge that it was next to ih

Perseverance, and a brave indifference to thorns, carried the; and at the end of half an hour they were at the bottoranite, suggesting that they were at the beginning of the huge proo had refused to take them; the beautiful little rounded bay which they had skirted being to their right; and forward toward the north, and lying away to their left, being the situation of the unknown region always spoken of with bated breath, and called The Scraw

The lads stopped now, hot, panting and scratched, to stand gazing upward

”Tired?” said Mike

”Yes No,” replied Vince ”Co before hirey with lichen and surrounded by bra wall that had fallen in ruins

Vince had begun to cli his co, he turned back to look

”Why don't you coet up there”

”Not if you stand still at the botto; and his cheery way acted upon Mike's spirits directly, for he began to follow

It was strange, though, that the laugh which had raised the spirits of one depressed those of the other; for Vince felt as if it rong to laugh there in that wild solitude, and he started violently as so rushed froht

”Only a rabbit,” said Mike, recovering froht that there could be such a wild place as this in the island Oh! what's that?”

They were cliranite, which rose up soreat black bird hopped into sight, looking gigantic against the sky, gazed down in a one-sided way, and began to utter a series of hoarse croaks, which sounded like the barkings of a dog

”Only a raven,” said Vince quickly ”Why, I say, Mike, this must be where that pair we have seen build every year! Weup”

”Doesn't look as if he'd let us,” said Mike, peering round with his eyes for a stone that he could pick up and hurl at the bird But, though stone was in plenty, it was in hts and tons

They cli the other over the hardest bits; the faults and rifts between the blocks of granite, which in places were as regular as if they had been built up, afforded them foothold; but their way took theave another bark or two, hopped from the stony pinnacle upon which it had res, and, after a few flaps to right and then to left, rose to the broken ridge above their heads, hovered for a s, dived down out of sight

”Pretty close to the top,” cried Vince breathlessly; and he paused to wipe his streahow solitary a spot they had reached--one so wild that it seemed as if it had never been trodden by the foot of ain when notbeen er by its laborious nature; and as they stopped, the action of both was the saazed about them nervously, startled by the utter loneliness and desolation of the spot, which ht have been far away in some Eastern desert, instead of close to the cliffs and commons about which they had played for years

Granite blocks and boulders everywhere, save that in places there was a patch of white heather, ling, or golden starry ragwort; and in spite of their deter upon them to turn and hurry back But for either to have proposed this would have been equivalent to showing the white feather; and for fear that Vince should for a moment fancy that he was ready to shi+rk the task, Mike said roughly, ”Co the top first, and stretching out his hand, which was grasped by Vince, who pulled hiaze in wonder froe of a cliff, but a thorough ridge, steep as the roof of an old-fashi+oned house, down to where, some fifty feet below theed enough, but as far as they could see to right or left there was no way out: they were heranite and the sea There was the way back, of course; but the desire upon both noas to go forward, for the curiosity which had been growing fast ever since they started was now culer to penetrate theto do next?” said Mike ”See if we can't get down to the shore, of course;” and Vince seated hied, te look beyond the edge of the precipice below hih barrier of detached rock which stretched before hi in a nearly circular pool; for he and his coranite cliffs curving out to right and left, and see to touch the rocky barrier, which swar perfectly white

”Seems like a lake,” said Mike suddenly, just as Vince was thinking the sa